Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award

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Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award: On day one of SALTEX 2018 at the NEC, Sherriff Amenity’s ground-breaking new app, PrecisionPro, was announced as the winner of the second, annual SALTEX Innovation Award.

Established at the show in 2017, the SALTEX Innovation Award was created to encourage innovation excellence and celebrate the best products within the groundscare industry. The award is bestowed on projects that have a significant impact and ultimately make life easier for the person using them.

Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award

This year’s award received a record number of high quality entries from across the UK and beyond – spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment. With the entries submitted and rigorously evaluated by an independent panel of judges, it was decided that there were three stand-out innovations – the Toro Outcross 9060 from Reesink Turfcare, PrecisionPro from Sherriff Amenity and the ROBOCUT from McConnel.

The three finalists were given a final opportunity to impress the judges as they took to the stage in the all new Innovation Hub. Representatives from each company delivered a product presentation in front of a packed audience causing the judges much deliberation before making their final decision.

Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro was pronounced the overall winner. Second place went to the Toro Outcross 9060; a super-duty utility vehicle, designed specifically to simplify the groundsman’s day-to-day turf maintenance jobs. Third place went to the McConnel ROBOCUT; an all-terrain remote-control work platform that boosts safety, productivity and efficiency.

The winning innovation, PrecisionPro, is a dedicated app for sports turf to measure any area, guide the operator in calibrating a spreader for any granular product and also help apply fertilisers accurately.

According to Sherriff Amenity, PrecisionPro was created due to the common issue of turf managers misjudging green/sport surface size which often results in problems such as over applying or under applying fertilisers – both of which can have a negative effect on turf performance, disease and budget.

PrecisionPro allows turf managers to have an accurate measured area by simply opening the app and walking the perimeter of the area. Calibrating spreaders has always been a difficult task but with the Calibrate feature in the PrecisionPro app, users are guided through each step of the process. Furthermore, its advanced GPS functionality informs the user when to start and stop the calibration process.

The app also features a function to ensure that every operator walks at the same speed – if someone is walking too fast or too slow then they are alerted by colour coded screens. As well as calculating the g/m2 and the operator’s walking speed, the Apply feature ultimately ensures that the exact amount of nutrition is being applied to the turf.

Commenting on the award, Karl Parry, Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro developer, said:

“We are really excited to win this award. PrecisionPro has been a long time in the making but it has all been made worthwhile now. SALTEX was the official launch of the app and after we won the award people kept coming onto the stand to find out more about it, so the word definitely got round at the show.

“I’m really proud of the whole team because it has been a big collaborative effort.”

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

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Toro ProCore 648 Headlines Stand At Jersey Skills Show

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Toro ProCore 648 Headlines Stand At Jersey Skills Show: The Playing Field Maintenance Sports division of States of Jersey has been so impressed with its new Toro ProCore 648 aerator that it made the machine the star of its stand at the Jersey Skills Show at Fort Regent in October.

The division was attending the show to encourage a career in sports turf maintenance, says Steve Landick, playing fields manager of the division for States of Jersey. And what better way to visually represent the work the division does at the show than the ProCore!

Toro ProCore 648 Headlines Stand At Jersey Skills Show

“We work closely with sports organisations, clubs and schools to grow sport in Jersey and we’re working on developing an integrated system that supports grassroots sports and its development to provide a pathway for performance athletes to go on and represent us in events such as the Island Games and the Commonwealth Games. Having a talented sports turf maintenance team is essential in achieving that.”

The ProCore 648 is widely considered to be one of the most important tools there is when it comes to aeration, with many Premiership football clubs happy to use the machine just ahead of a game, the finish is so good. There’s little heave, and it can be depended upon to deliver all year-round aeration.

Steve, who attended the show with the division’s current apprentice Peter Ahier, says: “The ProCore is a new addition to our fleet of machines and has debuted on the Island’s cricket squares and bowling greens. The whole division has been very pleased with the way it has performed, it’s a great purchase.”

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and seeing is believing so to have the ProCore on stand will have helped bring to life Steve and Peter’s chat about what a career as a groundsman is like, showing those visiting the show the type of quality machinery they’ll be in charge of as they potentially strive to keep the island’s sporting surfaces in the best possible condition.

“There’s a fantastic opportunity in sports turf maintenance for school leavers, people wishing to change career or re-entering the workplace,” concludes Steve. “To have the opportunity to reach these people and explain that at the Jersey Skills Show has been fantastic and the ProCore did as good a job for us there as it has been doing out in the field!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Stallion Success For CEuk At SALTEX

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Stallion Success For CEuk At SALTEX: Stallion telescopic polesaws from CEuk were one of the high-profile industry products on display at this year’s IOG Saltex held at the NEC Birmingham.

Displayed to show the varying telescopic lengths of the polesaws they offered a wow factor to the CEuk stand, with Cutting-Edge founder Chris Gottfried able to demonstrate the full CEuk range including Trojan handsaws and Root Assassin shovels.

Stallion Success For CEuk At SALTEX

“We had a huge amount of interest in our pruning tools and shovels and it was great to be able to extend the Stallion polesaws to show the high reach pruning capability they can achieve. The exhibition is renowned for its exposure to outdoor and open space industries and our products are well-suited for many of these: – for example as a useful tool for professionals in estate, grounds and park maintenance, fencing contractors and gardeners to name just a few”.

Chris continued “I’ve always found that Saltex gives visitors the chance to see and experience our products and for us it means that we can show them the features of the product and explain just how best to operate them in different pruning scenarios.”

For many visitors to Saltex, it was also their first opportunity to see the Root Assassin shovel in its 2 size options, the original 48” length shaft and the mini 32” length shaft.

“The Root Assassin shovel is gathering pace with more professional users benefiting from its useful 2-in-1 saw and shovel action for cutting roots and digging tasks. We’ve all come across a scenario where an area of overgrown weeds needs extracting or a fence post hole leads to the unveiling of small spindly roots that flex and bow under leverage. Often deep in the ground and difficult to access, it can be a time consuming and pain staking task repeatedly hitting the roots only for them to splinter” explained Chris.

The ultra-light weight, Mini Root Assassin has been developed for users who work on sloping banks or uneven ground where it is difficult to access the root cleanly standing up. The Mini Root Assassin shovel provides a good cutting action when you are restricted to kneeling or working closer to the ground

The traditional sized Root Assassin shovel has a larger profile head and wider foot placement. The serrated teeth can be sharpened on both shovel options.

“Before the Root Assassin shovel, it would be a case of using a spade with brute strength and a handsaw or axe to break the stubborn roots, yet potentially blunting the tools used. The Root Assassin shovel combines a profiled spade head with serrated teeth on either side allowing soil, roots and debris in the ground to be cut quickly on both the push and pull stroke. Saltex has been a great show for us this year and we look forward to introducing more new customers to the CEuk range” Chris concluded.

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BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI

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BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI: Each year Jacobsen, a Textron Golf brand, invites 20 ambitious greenkeepers to its headquarters in Ipswich to undertake high quality education designed to help them take the next step into golf course management.

Each of the greenkeepers is a member of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, which has worked alongside Jacobsen to provide the education programme for 20 members every year since 2013. FTMI was born in the UK but has rapidly expanded in the years since and has been introduced in Spain, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand.

BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI

Across two days of intense education, high quality speakers and experienced mentors, themselves course managers and head greenkeepers, will provide candidates with a wide range of knowledge and skills that will prove invaluable as their careers progress.

BIGGA is proud to reveal the members who have been selected to take part in the 2019 edition of FTMI, to take place from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 March 2019.

The successful candidates for the “FTMI Class of 2018” are:

Andrew Wilson, deputy course manager, Whitecraigs Golf Club;
Ben Hunter, deputy course manager, The Richmond Golf Club;
Ben Williams, first assistant greenkeeper, Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club;
Christopher Jones, deputy course manager, St Anne’s Old Links;
Craig Berry, course supervisor, St Andrews Links Trust;
David Stewart, deputy head greenkeeper, Walmley Golf Club;
Edward Campbell, deputy course manager, Sandford Springs Golf Club;
Gareth Hunt, deputy head greenkeeper, Cricket St Thomas Golf Club;
Graeme Davidson, assistant greenkeeper, Murrayfield Golf Club;
James Bruder, deputy course manager, East Berkshire Golf Club;
James Cleaver, senior greenkeeper, The Belfry;
John Scurfield, first assistant, Morpeth Golf Club;
Luke Hine, deputy head greenkeeper, Gaudet Luce Golf Club;
Michael Hughes, deputy course manager, Scotscraig Golf Club;
Phil Worth, first assistant greenkeeper, Prestbury Golf Club;
Sam Sweetzer, assistant greenkeeper, Queenwood Golf Club;
Scott Corrigan, assistant greenkeeper, Royal Troon Golf Club;
Scott Logan, first assistant greenkeeper, Royal Bled Golf Club, Slovenia;
Simon Pyett, greenkeeper, Halesworth Golf Club;
Tim Brewster, deputy head greenkeeper, Reigate Hill Golf Club.

Jacobsen and BIGGA recognise the importance of preparing the next generation of greenkeepers to take on a management role at a golf club. FTMI has been designed to provide practical tools and guidance to help delegates pursue their career aspirations through this professional development course.

BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI

Karen Proctor, Director Global Marketing at Textron Golf, said: “Congratulations to all 20 delegates chosen to take part in FTMI 2019. Each year the number of applicants increases, giving us a very tough job to choose just 20!

“We are looking forward to welcoming the class of 2019 to Ipswich in March and providing a unique experience that will help the delegates on their way to achieving their career goals.”

Sami Strutt, Head of Member Development at BIGGA, said: “FTMI pushes our members out of their comfort zones. Each of the successful candidates will be at the point in their career where they are itching to take the next step in their career. But what does that mean in a practical sense and what skills do you need to learn that you may not gain in your day-to-day working life?

“FTMI provides 20 ambitious BIGGA members with the necessary skills to take that next step. Each year the education gets better and better as we find out more about what the delegates find most useful and relevant as they work towards their career goals.

“We’re delighted that so many FTMI graduates have built upon their experience and are now embarking upon careers in course management. I’m sure the same will soon be true of this year’s 20 delegates, who were all of an incredibly high standard.”

For a closer look at FTMI, check out this video on the BIGGA YouTube page: https://youtu.be/xbl8mjt1dUY

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SALTEX Success For PSD Groundscare

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SALTEX Success For PSD Groundscare: PSD Groundscare, the leading distributor of professional groundscare machinery had a successful few days exhibiting at the NEC for Saltex 2018.

 Specialists in supplying high quality and high performing equipment for use in groundscare and forestry management, PSD showcased a number of exciting new and existing innovative machines from market leading manufacturers AS Motor, Eliet, Koppl and TS Industrie.

SALTEX Success For PSD Groundscare

PREVIEWED – THE NEW GREEN SERIES PUMA ON TRACKS – WITH REMOTE CONTROL

Shredding very rarely involves only wood, besides mainly branches in winter, in autumn a lot of leafy and wet green waste needs to be cleared. In spring you have to cope with a variety of materials, ranging from blossoms and hedge trimmings to all other kinds of damp and bulky green waste and also in the summer the pruning of hedges generates a large amount of woody and leafy waste.

TS Industrie, leaders in Green Waste shredding technology are extending their current range of Green Series Shredders. They previewed the future with the PUMA REMOTE CONTROL TRACKED SHREDDER offering more efficiency, in green waste shredding.

The well renowned Green series Puma 35D green waste shredder has been further improved in handling and ease of use with the new model Puma 35D R-TK. For use in difficult terrain, the machine fitted with adjustable crawler tracks and lateral stabiliser, is capable of travelling to areas not accessible by trailed chippers or shredders.

PREVIEWED – THE NEW ELIET TURFAWAY 600 TURF CUTTER

Also showcasing was the New Turfaway 600 turf cutter from Eliet. For major lawn renovation that requires complete reconstruction, it is essential to remove old turf. By removing a thin top layer, you can not only remove weathered grass plants, but also any overgrowth of weeds, moss and other parasites that have settled into the lawn over the years. It is good to start a new lawn with a clean slate.

The Eliet Turfaway 600’s unique concept allows you to quickly loosen a thin turf layer with precision. The unique construction of this 60cm wide turf cutter on tracks ensures a stable machine with optimum soil grip, which ensures maximum comfort for the operator.

Designed with optimum maneuverability in mind, the propulsion of the tracks is hydrostatic and the speed of each track can be adjusted so that the machine takes corners smoothly and can even turn on its axis.

Optimum yield is achieved from the 60 cm wide cutter which is the largest working width self-propelled turf cutter on the market. The grip the tracks provide ensures that the machine keeps delivering its yield under all circumstances and the cutter can be easily set at an angle so that depending on the type of soil it can always be on the right setting.

Also showcased was the AS Motor AS1040 YAK ride-on flail mower which was shown for the first time at Saltex. Combining the cutting performance of a flail mower with the climbing ability and comfort of an AS Motor 4WD ride-on mower, the professional AS 1040 YAK mulches dense growth on demanding terrain with ease.

To find out more or to arrange a demonstration please get in touch with the PSD Groundscare sales team.

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